Some readers of In Step will recognize Antoinette as a member of our Speaker’s Bureau. She was the featured participant at our 2020 Next Step Breakfast, and she has joined me on many occasions, speaking from the heart about her life experience and her time in the STRIVE job readiness training program.
As a former Next Step participant and a former STRIVE graduate, Antoinette is a true success story. She has not only sustained employment during the pandemic, but she was also promoted to supervisor in 2020 at the Holiday Inn, National Airport. Most recently, she landed a new position in Tyson’s Corner as the Concierge Manager at WhyHotel. And now, as part of this next chapter in Antoinette’s journey, we can share with you that she has WHEELS!
That’s right, a member of the community – long-time SMGW donor Pete Corbino – called us saying he had a good used car he wanted to donate, and could we use it. Now, we’re not Kars4Kids. We don’t have a car donation program; we don’t want a car donation program. So no, we can’t use it . . . but someone like Antoinette can, especially given her long commute to National Airport from NE DC, now to Tysons Corner. Further, we happened to know that Antoinette was getting her license and actively looking for an inexpensive car, so we put them in touch with each other.
As they say, the rest is history, and the picture says it all! Special congrats to Antoinette on her success during the pandemic and her continuing and outstanding participation in our Speaker’s Bureau – to Pete for his creative thought – and to Samaritan Ministry for our core value of partnership, neighbor-to-neighbor!
-David B. Wolf